Chapter 78
Chapter 78
Chapter 78 Marks grew quickly
ASHER
As much as I needed her to, Ca ssandra wouldn’t tell me the truth. As I stared into her deep green eyes, I could see the stubbornness within. Cora had been stubborn as well, completely defiant. Once she had made her decision, no one was able to change her mind, even if it was for her own well-being.
Along with the stubbornness was a touch of fear. That small glint of it bothered me more than I wanted to admit. I didn’t want Ca ssandra Keller to fear me. In fact, it
was the last thing in the world I wanted.
Even if she didn’t want to tell me the truth, there were other ways of finding out. what I’d already begun to assume. We could conduct genetic testing. A few strands of her long, copper hair were more than enough to be sufficient.
If the royal healers didn’t seem trustworthy enough to conduct the research. themselves, I could seek out other resources. I would do anything I could to find out the truth of the healer’s identity.
Of course, even if I got the proof I needed to determine that Ca ssandra was in fact Cora Felix, what happened next? Could she tell me what happened five years ago? Or would she just run away and vanish again from my life?
There were no guarantees for how the exchange would go.
I felt unease swelling in my heart. As much as I wanted to charge head-on into the issue, I needed to take things slow.
As Ca ssandra rose from the bed, I thought she was going to up and leave entirely. However, the moment that her gaze reached my exposed arm, her lovely eyes widened and she stared at me in horror.
“The marks,” she gasped. “How… how have they spread so quickly?” NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.
I followed her gaze to my arm and suddenly felt my forehead break out in sweat. I hadn’t intended for her to see the marks that’d recently spread toward my
wrist.
“It’s nothing,” I remarked as I yanked the sleeve of my shirt back down. “Don’t worry about it.”
“It sure doesn’t look like nothing!” Ca ssandra exclaimed, and she climbed off of the bed and rushed over to me. The healer took my arm and yanked the sleeve back up. I winced slightly, but tried to play it off.
“Look, it’s not as bad as it seems,” I tried to brush her off. “It’s gotten a little worse over the past few days… but honestly, aside from the headache, I’m fine-”
“You must certainly aren’t fine!” she retorted, and her eyebrows furrowed together in complete annoyance. “This isn’t good. If the mark has already spread…”
Her voice trailed off as she examined me, and my lips curled into a frown. Why was she reacting in this way? I was no worse off than I’d been a week ago, mark
aside.
Suddenly, I recognized the look on her face. Ca ssandra’s expression was fearful. As she pulled my arm closer to her, I noticed that her eyes were wet with moisture. Was she… crying? Over me?
“It wasn’t this serious the last time we did a health check,” she said quietly, and when she met my eyes, I nodded.
“Yeah,” I whispered.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.
“Things have been so busy,” I murmured. “I wasn’t sure what to say. But I won’t lie to you any longer. I think the disease is spreading, Ca ssandra. Rapidly.”
The healer’s face grew pale. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and her lower lip trembled. For a moment, I thought she was going to dissolve into s obs. But instead, she concentrated on the mark.
I
“I think we need to resume our health checks,” she stated plainly and
professionally. “We need to get a handle on this and I need to keep working on my research. We have to find you a cure.”
“Okay,” I agreed.
As I studied her, I found myself a little… amused. It was strange to see that the
healer was so worried about me.
“Have the marks spread to any other parts of your body besides the arm?” Ca ssandra asked, and her eyes locked on mine. Her gaze was steady, and I had to admit, her big, doe-like eyes were drawing me in. She was so immensely beautiful, even when she seemed so concerned about my health and wellbeing.
“You… could always check for yourself,” I said slowly. For a moment, I couldn’t even believe my own audacity. Had those words really left my lips? Had I just dared
I
the beautiful healer to give me a thorough examination?
Ca ssandra seemed a little taken aback. She dropped my arm and then took a small step back. Her eyes remained locked on mine and I watched as she took a
small breath.
As she stepped back, I took a step closer. I knew what I was about to do wasn’t my best idea, but my pull to her was magnetic.
I leaned down and pressed my lips against hers. The healer was surprised by this and started to move away, but I placed my hand on her lower back and drew
her closer.
I wanted her. More than I’d ever wanted just about anyone. My body craved her mere presence and even being this far away from her wasn’t enough. I needed to
consume her.
Ca ssandra stopped fighting it and pressed her lips against mine. I was impressed by the force and a small moan escaped me as she wrapped her arms. around my neck.
I brought my hand up and gently pulled at her hair. She sighed, a good sign.
With this blessing in mind, I guided her to the bed and lifted her up onto the mattress. She sat down and then wrapped her legs around me for support. A shiver ran through me. I gripped one of her thighs and squeezed. She gasped and then pressed her lips against me even stronger. When I gently bit down on her lower lip, she groaned.
“Do you like that?” I whispered, and when she nodded, I did it again, only stronger. Ca ssandra moaned breathily, and the moment that the sound reached my ears, heat spread through my body. I ran my thumb over her thigh and brought my hand higher up. Just as it hovered dangerously close, I pulled away slightly and stared into her eyes.
It was obvious then that Ca ssandra Keller wanted me just as much as I wanted her. Her lips were red and swollen and her long, copper hair was tangled. Even in the low light of the room, I could see her cheeks were rosy with color. The sight of her like this was almost too much for me to bear. Her perfume filled my nose with its sweet scent and I wanted to give in to this intoxication.
I pressed my lips against hers again, and just as I slipped my tongue into her mouth, I heard a sound from the other side of the door.
“Prince Marco, I’m afraid you can’t go inside!” a guard’s mu ffled voice called out.
“Prince Marco! Prince Marco-”
I pulled away from Ca ssandra and my heart dropped.
“Daddy!” Marco cried, and before I could reply or stop him, the door flew open.